Basically there's two ways to be a star on a TV staff. Write outlines and scripts the showrunner barely has to rewrite. Pitch storylines, scenes, images, emotional payoffs, solve story issues etc, that keep landing in the show.
When I was first working, I was quickly very good at the second. I would regularly pitch stories that landed in episodes, scenes, emotional moments, funny lines, etc. I was much stronger in the room than on the page. Somehow I could improv the show outloud better than I wrote.
One day, we were told we were behind and had to turn in an outline by the end of the day we hadn't started. That put the fire in me and I learned to write on cue. I got better and better at outlines over a few shows.
Last came my ability to write strong episodes. This didn't really happen until I was also developing my own work. The exposure to exec notes, having to rewrite a lot and know what might be expected or asked, and working with very talented showrunners simultaneously upped my game.
I like to share some of the process that was often hidden to me because that's how writers learn. When you're on staff you're often not privy to notes or chances to rewrite. You're also not always getting to write a whole episode and make it your own with new leaps.
The tough love is writers who are okay at pitching and okay at nailing the voices/tone of the showrunner will have a harder time with rehiring. If you want to be valued, highly, hone the two areas of pitching and page. If you're not as strong at one, work on it in your spare time
And then when you get an outline and a script, see how you can deepen and make more connections than what was broken with the room. Follow formatting so the showrunner isn't redoing all caps and sluglines when they're already exhausted. Elevate it where you can.
A lot of excelling at TV writing is having talent and strong work already. It's kind of true that the hardest part is breaking in. Even writers with a few seasons' experience are learning. Because a lot is learning on the job. I wish this for all of you who work hard to improve.
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One of my BFF lost her Valentine to a sudden tragedy a few weeks ago after letting herself believe in ❤️ again. I know many people are struggling now. If you’re someone who has something to spare, it would mean a lot to fund the Penn scholarship friends/fam hope to create.
Greg helped Philly public high school students launch their business ideas and provided early exposure to financial literacy. Additionally, he was one of the producers & hosts of the first-ever Bridges To Wealth podcast & blog series.
Here's how I do a TV series pitch document (format):
TITLE
THE SERIES (what the show is, tone, why it's cool/relevant)
LEADS (character descrips w actor reading it in mind)
CREATOR'S NOTE (why I can write it)
PILOT SUMMARY
PILOT OUTLINE
SUMMARIES OF NEXT EPS (stories, arcs)
Sometimes to sell a pilot, I've just done a pre-format pitch -- basically everything but the last 3 things. Then added those 3 items for the format. This was short, like 2-5 pp, other times, longer. The format, more like 20pp or more.
PS: For future episodes, I find it useful for execs if you summarize the summary first. Like a good description you might see when you select a streaming episode (the basic storylines) then go into the details. For the series, it helps to bring up structure.
When I write a scene ill lay out everything that needs to happen. When I REVISE: I find ways to reveal character, more obstacles & conflict, remove what’s not interesting enough or necessary, dig deeper into an emotional set up or pay off then hone a landing or end/point of it
Writing down a bunch of stuff that happens is not a scene. for the scene to be elevated everything has to be there not just because it could happen because it has to and because it’s furthering character story conflict emotion a set up or a pay off
I’ll also add visuals as if the sound were off but you could understand it and I’ll rewrite it psychologically —how can I enhance how it’s being told cinematically through the character’s point of view. Oh sometimes stuff can be cut that’s interesting but not necessary (research)
TV writers: were you staffed once or a few times or been writing assistants for awhile and feel stuck? I’m gonna try to help bc this is a common DM I get. Not big picture advice but as far as scripts and things you might be able to control. I’ll do a Q&A on this topic only after.
Okay so maybe you have a manager but you’re not getting meetings, or you fired your manager bc they weren’t doing much. Maybe your sample got some traction but nothing solid happened. Maybe you’ve been out of work for a moment. Maybe you can’t seem to get promoted.
What can you control? Your work. Your self. Who you know (who likes you). How your work and your self are perceived to match what and who people need on staff.
#Rewriting again, so here's some thoughts from today. After two drafts of an ambitious story, I had a lot of character and world building, but the A/B stories were muddy & meandering. My clarity ?s:
What is the premise of the series? Or, can I explain the idea of the series?
What is the pilot story? Or, what happens in the 1st episode?
This is different than:
What is the set-up of the pilot? Or, what starts the hero on their journey and why are they the perfect character to follow in this story?
What happens week to week? Or, how can I show through the pilot what can be expected to repeat, grow or become added trouble in the next episodes?
Who is the hero? What is the arc we might expect them to travel in the pilot? In the season? In the series?
When I've addressed every note I can think of that someone good at giving notes might give me and/or has given me.
My recent revision checklist looked roughly like:
clarify character
clarify story
raise stakes
revisit structure
deepen emotion
specify place & increase imagery
increase conflict
where can theme be deliberate
increase protagonist POV
research more detail
how can i dramatize an arc
more set ups and payoffs
cut what is actually the next episode
increase genre tropes and subversions
more sex, more violence if story driven
cut double ending
increase jeopardy
getting feedback from story genius pal @tomsalinsky
asking hard questions about what isn't working and trying to solve them